Dahlia plant named &#39;DAHZ0003&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new  Dahlia  plant named ‘DAHZ0003,’ particularly distinguished by the large magenta, double-type flowers, an upright plant habit with good branching, dark green foliage, and good floriferousness.

LATIN NAME OF THE GENUS AND SPECIES OF THE PLANT CLAIMED

Dahlia Cay.

VARIETAL DENOMINATION

‘DAHZ0003’

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new Dahlia, botanically known asDahlia hybrid and hereinafter referred to by the variety name‘DAHZ0003’.

‘DAHZ0003’ is a product of a planned breeding program. The new cultivarhas large magenta double flowers, an upright plant habit with goodbranching, dark green foliage, and good floriferousness.

‘DAHZ0003’ originates from a sibling cross hybridization in a controlledbreeding program in Andijk, Netherlands. The pollinations were made inMay 2007.

The female parent was an unpatented, proprietary hybrid seedlingidentified as ‘D06-251 -1 ’, having deep rose flower color, dark greenfoliage, and a smaller plant size than ‘DAHZ0003’.

The male parent of ‘DAHZ0003’ was an unpatented, proprietary plantidentified as ‘1306-262-3’, with dark red flower, large flower size,medium green leaves, and open and not good branching plant habit.

The resulting the seed sown in April 2008 and ‘DAHZ0003’ was selected asone flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in September2008 in a greenhouse in Andijk, Netherlands.

The first act of asexual reproduction of ‘DAHZ0003’ was accomplishedwhen vegetative cuttings were propagated from the initial selection inApril 2009 in a controlled environment in Andijk, Netherlands.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Horticultural examination of plants grown from cuttings of the plantinitiated in May 2013 in Andijk, Netherlands, and continuing thereafter,has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as hereindisclosed for ‘DAHZ0003’ are firmly fixed and are retained throughsuccessive generations of asexual reproduction.

‘DAHZ0003’ has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations inenvironment such as temperature, light intensity and day length.

‘DAHZ0003’ has not been made publicly available more than one year priorto the filing of this application.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe basic characteristics of the new variety. The combination of thesecharacteristics distinguishes this Dahlia as a new and distinct variety.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographic drawings show typical flower and foliagecharacteristics of ‘DAHZ0003’ with colors being as true as possible withan illustration of this type. The photographic drawings show in FIG. 1,a flowering potted plant of the new variety and in FIG. 2, a close-up ofthe flowers.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs were taken at May 2013 in Andijk,Netherlands. The plants were growing in 13 cm pots on benches in agreenhouse. They were about 14 weeks of age

The plant descriptions and measurements were taken in Enkhuizen, TheNetherlands, on the 14^(th) of September from 14 week old plants thatwere growing outdoors in the trial field.

Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society ColourChart (R.H.S.) 2001.

TABLE 1 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NEW VARIETY ‘DAHZ0003’ AND A SIMILARVARIETY ‘DAHZ0003’ XXL Paradiso Rose Overall flower Magenta Rose color:Flower type or Medium large, double Large flower position: flowerFoliage: Dark green Medium dark green Plant size or habit: Medium largeplant with Large plant with long medium long flower stems flower stems

-   Plant:    -   -   Form, growth and habit.—Semi-upright, tight and compact;            freely branching.        -   Plant height.—28 cm.        -   Plant height (inflorescence included).—39 cm.        -   Plant width.—40 cm.        -   Garden performance and tolerance to weather.—Good.        -   Crop time to flowering.—About 9-12 weeks.-   Roots:    -   -   Number of days to initiate and develop roots.—About 21-28            days at about 21 degrees C.        -   Type.—Fine, fibrous, free branching.        -   Color.—RHS N155A but whiter.-   Foliage:    -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite, single, simple and sometimes pinnate.        -   Immature, leaf color, upper surface.—Between RHS 137A.        -   Lower surface.—RHS 138B to RHS 138C.        -   Mature, leaf color, upper surface.—RHS 146B.        -   Lower surface.—RHS 138A but slightly more greyish.        -   Type.—Mostly simple, some are pinnate.        -   Length.—10 cm, including petiole.        -   Width.—8-9 cm.        -   Shape.—Ovate to deltoid for the pinnate.        -   Base shape.—Pinnate leaves are truncate, simple leaves are            acute.        -   Apex shape.—Acute to obtuse.        -   Margin.—Dentate.        -   Texture, upper surface.—Little hairy on the edges, slightly            glossy.        -   Lower surface.—Some lonely hair on the main vein.        -   Venation color, upper.—RHS 143A.        -   Lower.—RHS143C.        -   Petiole color.—RHS 144C.        -   Petiole length.—1-4 cm.        -   Diameter of petiole.—0.3 cm at the midsection.        -   Texture.—Glabrous.-   Stem:    -   -   Average quantity of main branches per plant.—About 5 to 6            that are divided in 3 branches.        -   Color of stem.—RHS 144B.        -   Length of stem.—23 cm.        -   Diameter.—0.6 cm at the midsection.        -   Length of internodes.—5.4-8.2 cm.        -   Texture.—Glabrous.        -   Color of peduncle.—RHS N143D.        -   Length of peduncle.—6-10 cm.        -   Peduncle diameter.—0.2-0.3 cm.        -   Texture.—Glabrous.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Type.—Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage;            daisy-eyed double.        -   Blooming habit.—Continuous throughout the growing season.        -   Average quantity of inflorescences per plant.—70, with buds.        -   Average quantity of inflorescences per lateral stem.—10-13.        -   Lastingness of individual blooms on the plant.—7-12 days.        -   Fragrance.—None.-   Bud (just before opening):    -   -   Color.—RHS 73D on the top, to greener at the base: RHS 144B.        -   Length.—1.4 cm.        -   Width.—1.6 cm.        -   Shape.—Completely round to bell-shaped with unfolding of the            rays.-   Immature inflorescence:    -   -   Diameter.—About 5.5 cm.        -   Color of ray florets, upper surface.—RHS 74A.        -   Lower surface.—RHS 74D.-   Mature inflorescence:    -   -   Diameter.—8.3-9.8 cm.        -   Depth.—4 cm.        -   Total diameter of ‘disc’.—1-1.3 cm.        -   Receptacle height.—0.2 cm.        -   Receptacle diameter.—1.4-1.6 cm.-   Ray florets:    -   -   Average quantity of florets.—About 75, disposed in few            layers.        -   Color of florets, upper surface.—RHS 2A.        -   Lower surface.—RHS 2B.        -   Length.—3.2-3.5 cm.        -   Width.—1.5 cm.        -   Shape.—Broadly elliptical.        -   Base shape.—Rolled to fused just at the base, acute.        -   Apex shape.—Mucronulate.        -   Margin.—Entire.        -   Texture, upper surface.—Papillose; glabrous.        -   Lower surface.—Papillose; some lonely hair on the veins.        -   Number of petaloids.—2-3 per ray floret.        -   Color of petaloids, upper surface.—At the petals, deeper            than RHS 2B.        -   Lower surface.—RHS 2C.        -   Length.—0.5-1 cm.        -   Width.—0.2-0.4 cm.        -   Shape.—Misformed: strongly involute and sometimes twisted.        -   Apex shape.—Rounded to acute.-   Disc florets:    -   -   Average quantity of florets.—About 75-85 quantity.        -   Color of florets.—RHS 21A.        -   Length.—0.7-0.8 cm.        -   Width.—0.30 cm.        -   Shape.—Tube-shaped.        -   Apex shape.—Acute, 5-pointed.-   Phyllaries:    -   -   Types of phyllaries.—2 types: Phyllaries are arranged in 2-3            whorls Phyllaries of lower whorl are green and thicker.        -   Average quantity.—About 5-7.        -   Color, upper surface.—RHS 146A.        -   Lower surface.—RHS 145A.        -   Length.—1.2 cm.        -   Width.—0.8 cm.        -   Shape.—Ovate.        -   Base shape.—Shortly attenuate.        -   Apex shape.—Acuminate.        -   Margins.—Entire.        -   Texture, upper surface.—Glabrous (no hair).        -   Lower surface.—Glabrous Phyllaries in the upper whorl are            mostly transparent.        -   Average quantity.—About 10.        -   Color, upper surface.—RHS 154B to RHS 154C, but appear            almost semi-transparent and RHS N144C at the base.        -   Lower surface.—RHS 154C to RHS 154D.        -   Length.—1.8 cm.        -   Width.—0.7 cm.        -   Shape.—Ligulate.        -   Base shape.—Fused.        -   Apex shape.—Obtuse.        -   Margins.—Entire.        -   Texture, upper surface.—Glabrous (no hair).        -   Lower surface.—Glabrous.-   Reproductive organs:    -   -   Gyneocium.—Present on both ray and disc.        -   Pistil quantity.—1 per floret.        -   Length.—0.8-0.9 cm.        -   Style color.—RHS 154B.        -   Style length.—0.5-0.6 cm.        -   Stigma color.—RHS 13A.        -   Stigma shape.—Bi-furchate (bi-lobed).        -   Ovary color.—RHS 145B.        -   Andreocium.—Present on disc florets only.        -   Stamens quantity.—5 united.        -   Color of filaments.—RHS 150C.        -   Length filaments.—0.3 cm.        -   Anther color.—RHS 17B.        -   Anther length.—0.4 cm.        -   Color of pollen.—RHS 17A.        -   Pollen amount.—Very moderate.        -   Fertility/seed set.—Not observed on this hybrid.-   Disease/pest resistance: Disease resistance or susceptibility has    not been observed on this hybrid.

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Dahlia plant named‘DAHZ0003’substantially as illustrated and described herein.